He sounds like a brilliant student. However does anyone find it the least bit noteworthy that the US government is paying for foreign citizens' tuition and stipends while many of its own citizens are forced to go deeply in debt?
A positive side effect may be more foreigners having good will towards Americans, having studied and lived here for several years. However, incidents like this one (denying visa) are not working towards developing the good will but very much in the other direction.
Not to mention the fact that many foreign PhD students have strong desires to live and work here...but Uncle Sam apparently thinks it's better to shove them out.
> Not to mention the fact that many foreign PhD students have strong desires to live and work here...but Uncle Sam apparently thinks it's better to shove them out.
Yes, I believe this. As long as Uncle Sam is cutting off its nose to spite its face, maybe we shouldn't be educating these foreign students. Maybe wait until Uncle Sam is smart enough to first give the students a green card.
They spend money in the local economy. They help with competition and keeping standards up. They (as others have said) take back useful soft-power propaganda to their home countries.
b) The terms of the student visa require that visa-holders provide evidences that they have no intent to stay permanently in the country.
I'm fine with (b) as long as US taxpayers aren't footing the students' bills. Otherwise I see money wasted. If they are so worthy we'll pay their bills then we should want them to stay. The ones that leave regardless of our welcome mat can provide us with "soft power" back in their home countries.
Ph.D. students don't pay tuition because the remuneration they get for their work is part tuition waivers, part money. If they do not work for the university and are not eligible for tuition waivers, they have to pay tuition instead (both foreigners and US Americans).
In practice, they are basically inexpensive (for their qualifications) temporary employees in teaching and research; what they get out of it is a degree.
First of all, there aren't enough American students qualified to do the research your taxes are paying for. They have to use foreign students or it would never get done.
Second, you're angry that they're not working here, but if they were working here, you'd be angry they're taking our jobs.
You're angry at the wrong people. You should be angry at American students and teachers for being too stupid to do the research jobs your taxes are paying for, and for being too stupid to get "work" in the field.